Changes
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Harry instead of being left to fend for himself in Surrey is rescued by Muramasa who leaves him with the Kurosaki clan. How will the Soul Society react with the reappearance of Muramasa? Will Harry be able to change Muramasa's fate?
1. Chapter 1

It all started four hundred years ago when a shinigami named Koga was sealed away. At that time, his partner, Muramasa, had no idea that his master had been sealed.

He figured it out after a decade had passed. Ever since then, he had wandered the world looking for where Koga had been sealed. He had seen many things, and still he could not find his master.

Until, nearly three hundred and ninety years after the fact, he found a child with green eyes so similar to his master that it caught his attention.

This child had massive amounts of reishi, but no control. What bothered him was the bindings on the child's power. Bindings that were designed to control and manipulate him.

He reached out to touch the small infant...and the small soul clicked with his power.

He blinked. This infant could synchronize with his own soul? The parents came into the room, and didn't even notice the change. When Muramasa touched the child, he had accidentally broken any and all bindings on the boy's soul.

The child giggled happily when he saw his mother...and shocked her greatly when he abruptly changed his hair color.

The woman was surprised, but pleased at the same time.

"James, our son is a Metamorphamagi!"

"He's _what_? Are you sure?"

"Come see for yourself!"

James (who was obviously the father) came up and saw the red hair. He seemed happy about the news.

"Our son is going to Hogwarts!" he said happily.

Muramasa was intrigued by this development. He had spent centuries looking for his master, and never found a thing.

Perhaps it was time for a break.

* * *

For the next month, Muramasa watched the house. The wards placed around the house never bothered him, mostly because they were never focused on souls like him.

Wards were meant for the living, not the dead.

It was because of his interest that Muramasa witnessed the death of Lily and James Potter. When the snake man went into the house, Muramasa followed.

He went straight to little Haru's room. Muramasa was fond of the little one, who seemed to be the only person who even saw him. He was the only soul in the area who had enough power _to_ see him.

The snake man had killed the father, and was going after Haru specifically. He leveled the stick at Haru...and Muramasa reacted without thinking.

When Lily fell, Muramasa took her place. The woman saw him with surprise, but she watched as he took the brunt of the killing curse meant for her son.

Whatever power the killing curse had, most of it was taken away when it went through the man before her. He coughed up a bit of blood, and didn't notice the small portion of his soul that was sealed inside the boy.

Because he took the curse meant to kill the child, he had unwittingly become the child's zanpakuto when he died.

Muramasa stayed with the two souls who were very surprised to find out about their visitor.

"I have been here for nearly two months. Only your son has the ability or the power to properly see me."

"Why are you here?" asked James.

"I was looking for my master...and your son's power caught my attention. But after seeing him, I decided to stick around for a bit."

"Thank you for saving him," said Lily.

"He reminds me so much of my master that I couldn't help it."

When the soul reapers _finally_ arrived, Muramasa had agreed to watch over their son. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, since he had searched for centuries and still hadn't found Koga Kuchiki.

He had since given up hope of finding the man.

Muramasa followed Haru with ease. The man with the motorcycle was a rather poor driver, as it was only the magical nature of the vehicle that allowed him to make it to the destination without crashing.

But it was the destination itself that caused him to really worry.

Every house appeared to have come out of the same mold. It was horrifying to look at. He watched the old man place little Haru on the doorstep of the fourth house.

Resigning himself to a boring night, he decided to read the note. It wasn't like the occupants would even realize he had moved it.

The more he read, the deeper his scowl.

This old man wanted the sister of Lily to take in her nephew without a decent explanation of the danger. And from the wording, the child was forced to remain here until the school could legally take him in, even if the woman didn't want him.

That...would not do.

He wasn't going to leave an innocent child where he wasn't wanted. Right before the door opened, he materialized in a way so she could see him. It was with a subtle shifting that his clothes turned into something more acceptable.

It was a trick he learned while watching Haru shapeshift his features.

Her eyes never leaving him, he asked her "Do you want to take care of your nephew?"

Her eyes narrowed considerably. She hated her sister for having magic when she didn't, and held a deep grudge.

"Absolutely not! I will not have that, that _freak_ contaminate my son!" she shrieked.

Muramasa's eyes narrowed. If this was how she felt about her orphaned nephew, then he couldn't in good conscience leave the child with her.

He picked up the infant, who giggled happily around him.

"In that case, if the old one asks where the child is tell him that next time he should actually pay attention to his colleagues. The woman said you wouldn't care for him, and clearly she was right," he said calmly.

In his eyes he was seething.

Petunia watched as he left, taking the child with him. He wasn't going to force her to take care of her nephew.

Though when Dumbledore did take note that his pawn wasn't there, she had great difficultly describing him later. While he had been wearing an acceptable outfit for a normal person, the face and features had kept slipping in and out of focus.

It was like he wasn't really there.

Muramasa took little Haru with him to the one place he knew very well. Karakura, Japan. It was the last thing he remembered seeing before Koga was sealed.

Unfortunately, things change a lot in 400 years. He could no longer find Koga.

His feet took him to a small clinic where he felt the power of a captain class soul reaper.

* * *

Isshin Kurosaki saw the spirit carrying the infant, and stared.

The child was almost two, but he was clearly caught between dead and alive.

"What do you want? I can tell you're not a regular soul."

"I am a zanpakuto spirit without a master. I told the child's parents that I would insure he would be cared for after they were murdered. But someone interfered and attempted to leave him with someone who wouldn't love him."

"And when you sensed me you came here?" asked Isshin.

"A soul reaper would be a better parent than that woman," replied Muramasa with a scowl.

"I'll take him in, but I'll need a name."

"Haru. I called him Haru."

Isshin took the infant, allowing Muramasa to go back to his spirit form. He asked a few basic questions, so he could adopt the child easily.

"I will be checking up on him, from time to time," he said ominously.

Now that he was in his natural state, Isshin could feel the tie he had to the infant. Somehow, he had accidentally become the child's zanpakuto, even though the boy was too young to have learned his name.

"Feel free to drop by," said Isshin, taking his youngest son into the house. Masaki would love him as much as she did their son Ichigo.

* * *

Haru grew up to be a bright young fifteen year old boy who loved life. His older brother, Ichigo loved him as if he was blood. Haru honestly didn't care that he had been adopted on a cold November morning, left there by a mysterious spirit who knew his parents.

The spirit showed up from time to time, but Ichigo rarely managed to catch a glimpse of him.

Haru saw him perfectly.

Every so often, Haru and Ichigo would help spirits out. Ichigo, because he had to learn the hard way between a living soul and a dead one after their mother was killed.

Haru had seen the creature which had attacked his mother, though the thing didn't notice that fact. Haru had watched in horror as the monster attacked his mother while she protected Ichigo.

He was right by his brother's side as he woke up.

After that day, quite a few things changed.

The first of which was that after the mourning period (in Japan there is a 49 day mourning period for the dead, after which it is assumed the souls have passed on) a man came to the house with some news they certainly weren't expecting.

Haru was a mage. And because of his rather large magical core, Ichigo had the potential to become one as well.

Karin and Yuzu were still in the final stages of awakening theirs.

After that, The Kurosaki brothers started their magical training at the tender age of six, two years earlier than most mages, and a good five before the European and Americans.

Haru had a rather interesting wand. Wood from a holly tree that was on holy ground and was in bloom all year long. The core was hair from a siren.

Ichigo had Sakura wood as well, but it wasn't from holy ground. It came from a tree that bloomed in the home of a demon clan (which the man had to bargain hard for), and the core was from a katana that was from the infamous sword smith Muramasa*****.

Ichigo and Haru took most of the same classes. But unlike Ichigo, Haru was able to take class that allowed him to transform into other people.

Over the years, he had learned how to use his ability at will. It had started with changing his hair and eye color to match his brother.

But his black hair and green eyes were always his default state.

Ichigo couldn't count the times his brother had gotten him into trouble with the teachers.

And tonight, things would really come to a boil.

Ichigo's spiritual powers were starting to break loose to the point where he could see the mystery spirit that had brought his brother to them.

* * *

"Hey Ichigo! Have you heard the news?" asked Haru.

"What?"

"Sensei said that we'll be allowed to summon our familiars within the week."

"Are you serious?" said Ichigo.

Summoning familiars was the last course in the mage training. It meant that you were ready to go out on your own and had completely all the basics.

They were completing it a good three years ahead of normal.

Once they were done, they were legally allowed to cast magic in public without supervision.

Unlike the rest of the world, Japan allowed magic to be cast in public within reasonable limits. Mostly because it was the only place where people dressed in odd costumes and pretended to be acting out their favorite shows.

America had a similar restriction, but it was mostly based in Hollywood.

"So what type do you think we'll get?"

"I don't know. I might get support or even defensive. You would definitely be a strictly attack based one."

Ichigo grimaced. He would prefer a supporter based.

Haru paused by the vase that was broken. The ghost girl was floating there sadly, because people weren't even giving any respect for the dead.

Ichigo scowled at the boys who had broken it...and then broke their leader's nose. Haru took out two of his own, and glared at the last one.

Once they had put the fear of kami in the jerks, Haru conjured up some flowers. It was such a small act, and he doubted that he would be in trouble for it.

Haru walked into the room, having gone to get a glass of water. Ichigo and Haru had shared rooms for years, the same as Karin and Yuzu.

What greeted him had him blinked repeatedly.

"Ichigo...who's this chick with the samurai gear?" he finally asked.

"You can see me too? What the hell is going on here?" she asked.

"Don't look so shocked. I see that afro dude all the time, but I never mentioned it."

"You can see soul reapers? How powerful are you?" she asked.

"Ichigo, why is she even here?"

"She came in, acting like a burglar."

"Spirits don't often observe things like walls and doors," Haru reminded him dryly.

"I didn't even know she _was_ a spirit until Dad came in and didn't see her," Ichigo snapped back.

Ichigo had learned the hard way to tell who was dead or alive. Haru, who seemed to be the only sibling able to tell the difference, helped him.

"I can see why you had trouble. She looks more solid than the others."

"Could someone explain why there are two people within a ten meter radius who can see spirits?" she demanded.

"I've always been able to see them. Ichigo's awareness has been slowly growing over the years," shrugged Haru.

"How strange...you look human, but your soul feels like it's already dead."

"Not the first time I've been told that. Our teachers mentioned that my soul seemed half-in, half-out before."

"How is that even possible? No one should be able to maintain such a state without hollows being drawn to it. At the very least the regular soul reaper who works this area should have noticed and done something. So how have you been able to live like this for so long?"

"How about you explain what you're doing here first?" he countered.

"I am here hunting a hollow."

"Hollow?" asked Ichigo.

"Spirits which who weren't guided to the soul society properly. Or we eaten by other hollows. The two main duties of a soul reaper are to help souls cross over and to kill hollows."

"What, exactly, do hollows look like?"

"Monsters wearing white masks and holes somewhere on their body. Their powers and appearance may vary, but the always have a white mask and a hole."

"So can one have a lure like appendage?" asked Haru, having a bad feeling about that.

"It's possible. Well, actually more than possible, since there is one that has been on our radar for years called Grand Fisher. He uses the lure to attract people with high spirit energy and then kills them."

"Haru, what is going on?"

"I hope I'm wrong about this."

Rukia explained about souls, hollows and soul reapers in more detail. There was only one slight problem with her explanation.

"Why are your drawing so crappy?" asked Ichigo. Haru was twitching at the sight of them.

They almost looked like a preschooler had done them.

"Do you have a rabbit obsession by any chance?" Haru asked.

She twitched.

"You do have a rabbit obsession," Haru deadpanned.

"That's not important!" she coughed.

"Do either of you hear that?" asked Haru suddenly. His hair shifted from Ichigo orange to an alarmed crimson red.

The soul reaper stared in shock.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Your hair changed color!" she shouted. She didn't need to worry about waking anyone, the only ones who could hear her were Ichigo and Haru.

"Oh that."

Haru had a mischievous idea, and without warning he turned into a duplicate of the soul reaper.

"I can do a lot more than change my hair, soul reaper. Huh...that howling getting close."

"Howling?"

She stepped out of the room...and felt massive spiritual pressure. No wonder she hadn't heard any howling!

Haru ran downstairs after her, while Ichigo tried to stand up. He nearly tripped on the stairs. Karin would be safe on the second floor.

Haru's worst fear was confirmed. The thing that killed their mother...was a hollow. Rukia didn't know that Haru had encountered them before, but never so close.

His teacher, Yoruichi, had said his magic repelled them from his soul. That, and Ichigo seemed like a better snack to them.

Yoruichi was by far his favorite teacher, as she taught him a lot of wandless spells. Like one that allowed him to run at fast speeds that she called Shun Po. Though why she talked like a man whenever she was in cat form, he had no idea.

Ichigo had never qualified for her class, so he could only guess what she looked like. Haru had a picture of her in human form, but Ichigo had never seen her cat form.

Haru ran at the monster, and cast a blasting hex at it. It had no effect.

Then an idea came to him. The spell the soul reaper had used seemed very familiar. Ichigo crashed down the stairs. It took him a bit, but he managed to break the spell she used on him.

Haru glared at the hollow...and tried something else.

"Ruler! Mask of blood and flesh! All things in the universe that fly! That which names all! In the name of truth and temperance, rend you claw into the walls of sinless dreams! Bakkudo number 30: Pale Fire Crash!" he cried.

The soul reaper stared outright.

"You can use kido? Who the hell are you?"

The hollow cried in pain. He swiped at Haru, knocking him into a pole. Haru blacked out from the hit, and Ichigo charged at the monster.

It hit him hard, and he never once thought of surrendering to it. No one got away with hurting his family.

The soul reaper attacked, but was rebuffed. She landed near Haru, but some of her ribs were broken. She would have difficultly fighting it now.

She managed to sit up, but she couldn't get to her feet at all.

Ichigo took her sword into his body, and a blast of light hit them. Haru's soul pulsed with power, as it recognized Ichigo's new abilities.

Ichigo took out the hollow with a few swipes of his sword...and passed out.

Only Haru sensed the figures who appeared shortly after he was knocked out.

* * *

***Muramasa is the name of a Japanese swordsmith. His swords were known best for their bloodthirsty temperament.**


	2. Chapter 2

Haru awoke to the sense that something had changed. He thought back to the events of last night...and felt something was wrong.

The memories didn't add up. He had the sense that he had found the monster who killed their mother, but he couldn't remember what.

He sat in a meditative position, reaching for his core. Yoruichi had been a good teacher in meditation.

He found something covering his memories, and shattered it. Whatever had been used wasn't up to his power.

He shook Ichigo up. He had started to wake up before the sun rose to keep Isshin from crashing into them. Ichigo batted his hand away, preferring to sleep in.

Then again, he wasn't used to his new powers.

Haru grinned evilly as he whispered into Ichigo's ear. Ichigo shot up with a scowl.

"You wouldn't!"

"Not my fault your hiding spot is so crappy," he sang out.

"Brat."

"Someone tried to modify my memories."

"You sure?"

"I broke a block on them before I woke you up."

"What time is it?"

"Nearly six forty-five."

"...Wake me in ten minutes," Ichigo said.

Neither of them were morning people, but Haru hated being woken up by their father even more.

Fortunately, Isshin's inner alarm was set to Ichigo's wake up call, not Haru's.

Haru shrugged. If Ichigo wanted to deal with Isshin, then that was his problem. He grinned as he heard the crash of Isshin onto Ichigo.

He sipped his coffee spiked with pepper up potion. He kept a stock of it for when he needed that extra kick. Ichigo walked down grumbling while Haru and Yuzu cooked breakfast.

Haru didn't mind cooking, but he and Yuzu usually switched places when it came to cleaning.

* * *

Haru stared when he saw the soul reaper from before. Though he swore revenge when she knocked both of them out cold.

Haru was the first to recover, and his scowl was eerily reminiscent of his brother.

"What was that for?"

"You two are soul reapers, which means you both need training!"

"Hold up, who the hell said I was a soul reaper?"

"You can use kido, which only soul reapers can use," she answered.

"That wasn't kido! It was wandless magic you baka! Yoruichi-sensei and Tessai-sensei said I had a real knack for it!"

"That spell you used on the hollow, Pale Fire Crash, is a high class kido spell. Face it, you're a soul reaper."

"No, my soul is just half out for some reason. Yoruichi has never been able to successfully get it back inside fully. Since my soul wasn't in my body properly, she taught me how to use wandless spells. She had me working with Tessai-sensei for the past two years."

Rukia went to knock the soul out of his body, but he was used to dealing with the quirky Yoruichi every night. He dodged with ease.

Ichigo came to when he sensed that, and he glared at her.

"Train me if you want, but leave my brother alone," he growled.

"You don't understand, if he can use kido, then hollows will target him specifically!"

"Uh, Rukia? I've been using this 'kido' for the past eight years. Hollows have never bothered me before, and I seriously doubt they'll sense my presence now," said Haru.

"Don't you have your club today?" asked Ichigo.

"Kuso! I forgot my gear! I'll be right back!" swore Haru.

Rukia blinked as she witnessed Haru use Shun Po to return home and retrieve his gear.

"You two claim he isn't a soul reaper, but that was shun po! Only soul reapers use that," she said in shock.

"Shun po?"

"Flash step. Yoruichi said I might as well put my speed to good use," said Haru from behind him.

Ichigo didn't even flinch. Haru played that trick on him one too many times.

"What's that?"

"My gear. With all the excitement this morning I completely forgot to grab it."

Rukia looked inside the long tube with interest. And stared.

"You practice with swords?"

"I _am_ vice captain of the kendo club."

Something about that didn't sit right with Rukia. Haru not only knew the incantations for kido, he was also training with practice swords.

"This coming from the only member with a sword collection."

"Don't diss my swords brother, or I'll turn your hair black again," he snapped.

Ichigo winced.

Rukia took Ichigo for training while Haru kept people from noticing that he was gone. Magical doppelgangers were his specialty.

* * *

Haru waited for Ichigo to return...and in the meantime he was trying to find the perfect topic for his dissertation. The only part he disliked about graduating from magic class was that he had to write one, and he still couldn't find a good topic.

Finishing a magical school in Japan had the equivalent of graduating a top high school. Depending on how well he wrote it, he could get into the best colleges in the world...or barely scrape by in community.

His biggest problem was that he didn't want to rewrite a paper on a subject someone else had already done.

He sighed. Too bad the Soul Society had already been done, otherwise he could just grill Rukia about it.

A thought occurred to him, and he decided to go for a walk. He left Ichigo a note, and went to see his teacher Tessai.

Urahara was cool and all, but unless he was pranking someone the man was annoying. More than once, he had to swipe the man's fan just to keep from smacking him.

Though Tessai never said it, he found Haru's thieving ways rather amusing.

Since he seriously doubted Rukia would be living in their closet if she had anywhere else to go, he was going to get answers. Unlike Ichigo, Haru preferred to have all the information.

Something Rukia most likely wasn't going to give willingly.

"Hello Haru. What brings you here?"

"I need information about the soul society. We have a soul reaper currently living in our closet, and I really doubt that all is going to end well."

Haru saw the look on Urahara's face. It didn't help that he still had the man's fan (and with Yoruichi's help, the rest of his spares).

"It looks like you were right Tessai. Haru is smarter than his brother," said Urahara amused.

"I like to prepare," he shrugged.

"Come on in, and we'll answer most of your questions," said Urahara.

* * *

"Where were you?" asked Ichigo.

"Went to see Tessai-sensei. Rukia, you have some explaining to do, like why you never told Ichigo it was considered a high class offense to share your powers," said Haru.

Ichigo looked at Rukia...who he just found in his closet.

"What?"

"It's considered a felony at the very least to share soul reaper powers, particularly to humans. If she's caught then there's a very good chance she'll be executed for it," he explained.

"Who told you?" she asked.

"My teacher did. I knew there was something you weren't telling us, so I went to find out what. Unlike Ichigo, I try to avoid surprises."

Suddenly he felt a presence, and reached past Rukia's little cubby hole. Unknown to Rukia, it was actually expanded so it could hold his sword collection.

"Ichigo, heads up! We have incoming!"

Ichigo scowled, but didn't complain when Rukia pushed his soul out in time to miss the hollow's claw.

Haru channeled his magic into the kodachi into his hand. It was his preferred weapon, though he was adept at using most swords. He liked the kodachi for it's short size, which made it easier to hide.

Like most of his collection, it didn't have a hilt. This was on purpose, because occasionally he had a bad vibe that made him carry one of his swords with him.

He hid them inside a hollowed out baseball bat with a glove hanging off the outside. No one ever questioned why he was carrying a baseball bat when he didn't play the game.

It was just a ruse to keep the cops from questioning why he was carrying a sword that was sharp enough to be classed a weapon around.

"Haru, up top!"

"You're fixing the damn ceiling this time," Haru yelled back.

It wasn't like Isshin or the girls would hear them shouting. Haru had long since put silencing charms on their room.

Haru slashed the mask, causing half of it to break. He had left a nasty gash on the roof in the process.

The hollow screamed in pain, and fled.

"Ichigo, wasn't that...?"

"I think so. Not it!"

"Damn! Why do _I _ have to be one drafting our homework?" he whined.

"Because I was faster," said Ichigo amused.

"Huh?"

"Whoever says 'not it' first doesn't have to do a rough draft of the homework," said Haru calmly.

"Isn't that cheating?"

"Only if I didn't plan to do finish it later," said Ichigo.

"Jerk. You owe me for this."

* * *

"So let me get this straight...the hollows already know about the change in careers, and they've started targeting you?" asked Haru.

"Apparently. According to Sora he was attacked and forced to come after me," said Ichigo.

"Which means you're going to train with Ichigo," said Rukia firmly.

"Or not," said Haru, getting up to leave. He stopped when he sensed a certain presence.

"Mark's back!"

"Mark?" asked Rukia.

"Mark is the guy who left Haru with our dad. He sometimes comes to visit and check on Haru every once in a while. Hey, maybe now I'll be able to see him properly!"

Ichigo rushed outside with Haru.

Outside was Mark, wearing a rather interesting outfit. He fit in worse than Rukia did!

"Hey Mark, where have you been?" asked Haru, hugging him.

"Hello Haru, how has school been?"

"I'm graduating early from magic school...and we got a new house guest," said Haru.

"House guest?" he blinked.

Then he saw Rukia.

"A soul reaper?"

"Another one? How many people can see us anyway?" she asked exasperated.

Mark looked amused.

"You have no idea who their father is, do you?"

"What?"

"If you don't know, I won't spoil his surprise. Hello Ichigo."

"Hey Mark. I can finally see you now," Ichigo said grinning.

"Well it's not surprising. When did the hollow attack?"

"About two weeks ago. How did you know?"

"He's a soul reaper, I can tell. It won't be long before you undergo a similar transformation," said Mark.

"What?"

"Haru's soul is unique. If it's ever knocked out he would become a soul reaper instantly," said Mark.

Haru took one look at Rukia and scowled.

"I am not letting you knock me out with that stupid glove just to force the transformation. When it happens, it'll happen," he said quickly.

Haru and Mark chatted for a few hours, before Mark went to wherever he vanished to when he didn't visit. Rukia really didn't think his name was Mark, but it was what Haru and the others called him for years.

Haru knew what his real name was, but it was so long that it was easier to call him Mark.

* * *

"Karin!"

Haru and Ichigo found Karin, who had been really sick earlier, walking in the street. She barely seemed able to move.

"Of all the times for her empathy to kick in! Ichigo, you take her home while Rukia and I go find Chad," said Haru.

Karin was an Empath, which had shocked everyone at the time. Yuzu, the more responsible of the twins, had shocked them even more when they found out she was telekinetic with the people she was close to. Haru had theorized that due to the exposure from his large magical core, the twins had developed psychic abilities rather early on.

On the plus side, the magical academy did offer training in cases like these, so the twins weren't affected too badly by it.

Haru managed to shield Rukia from the blasts, though he was hit pretty hard.

He tossed her a vial as he downed one himself.

"What is this stuff?" she asked, gagging.

"Healing potions. Yuzu is the family brewer, and we usually stock up during tournament season," he said.

Rukia was impressed by the fact he didn't gag. He must be used to drinking it to not notice the taste.

Haru went to Chad, and gave him one. Chad downed it without asking. It wasn't the first time Haru or Ichigo had given him a potion to heal him.

Though clearly this was one of Ichigo's attempts, because Yuzu's tasted better.

"Can't you ban your brother from the cauldron?" he asked.

"We tried, but the sad fact is he needs it to graduate. After this year, he's buying them rather than making them."

"Good. His cooking sucks."

"He knows."

Haru turned to the hollow, who was seriously ticking him off. Anyone who would do such a horrible thing to a child deserved to get his ass kicked.

His eyes started to glow a malevolent green...and he shifted into his animal form.

A while back, he and Ichigo took classes on animal transformation. Ichigo's ability to shift was iffy, and depended on the situation. If he was protecting someone, then he could do it no problem.

Any other time he had to concentrate for at least two minutes before he could pull it off.

Haru didn't have such problems. He could shift seamlessly at any time. And his animal form was rather impressive.

He was a black panther with haunting green eyes.

Haru leaped at the hollow...who screamed in pain as he ripped his arm off. If there was one thing he hated, it was children being hurt.

By the time Ichigo returned, Rukia had found that Haru had no problems carrying her. She had been hit with some blasts, and was playing tag with the hollow.

Haru put the odds in her favor as he ducked under her, and she abruptly found herself riding a large panther. All it took was a notice-me-not charm, and she was able to cover a larger distance while riding a massive cat.

Her only complaint was that he wasn't a rabbit. Too bad he had good hearing, because he was going to prank her with this was over.

Ichigo took out the hollow, and the brothers were shocked when they saw Hell's gates for the first time.

"Not what I was expecting," he said finally.

"Like _Hell Girl _is an accurate depiction of hell," said Ichigo

"The kid can't be saved. He's been away from his body too long," said Rukia sadly.

"Look at the bright side. At least now you'll be able to see your mom again," said Haru.

"And this time it's true," said Ichigo.

"And this time, you're doing the regular homework," said Haru. His back was murdering him.

"You know, you're barely taller than the twins, and you weigh about twenty pounds more than they do," said Haru.

Rukia bristled.

Ichigo held back a laugh. Haru had just hit Rukia with a spell to give her rabbit ears for three days.


	3. Chapter 3

Haru looked at the date. Tomorrow was the day she died. When Ichigo first learned that the shadowy forms he saw were in fact the souls of the dead. It was after the incident that Haru and Ichigo learned they had magic.

"It's tomorrow," said Haru.

"I know. Any ideas how to get _her_ off our back?"

"Oh, I have an idea alright. She isn't going to like it though," grinned Haru evilly.

* * *

"What is this?" she asked.

"A potion to see what sort of animal you can turn to," said Haru.

Unknown to Rukia, Haru had mastered the art of lying his ass off without getting caught. It came in handy when he was pretending to be Ichigo.

Rukia looked at it with misgivings. Ever since she drank one of Ichigo's potions, she had been wary of them. (She later tried a hair changing potion made by Haru, and was horrified to learn that Ichigo was horrible at potions.) She downed it with distrust...and abruptly turned into a rabbit.

She blinked, and realized Haru was grinning evilly at her.

"I'm sure Yuzu wouldn't mind carrying her new doll with us," said Haru.

Ichigo walked in, took one look at the rabbit, and started howling with laughter.

* * *

Haru stayed behind, having released Rukia from the prank he pulled on her an hour ago. He was about to go find Isshin when he felt the earth tremble. But it wasn't an earthquake.

He looked around...and his face paled. Before him was a hollow...but not just any hollow.

It was the hollow who had killed their mother, and left them with only Isshin.

The hollow was clearly after Karin and Yuzu. Haru paled even further.

"Karin, Yuzu, why don't you conjure some flowers for Mom?"

"Haru, you know we're not allowed..."

She took in the look on Haru's face.

"Something's here, isn't it?"

Haru said nothing, but his eyes spoke volumes. Karin took out her wand, and Yuzu followed her lead. The twins conjured some pretty flowers for their mother, while Haru placed a spell that would keep the weeds from growing.

The hollow didn't leave. It appeared more interested in them, meaning it was smarter than the rest. Most hollows never went after mages, because they were more trouble than normal humans.

However, whenever a hollow did target a mage, then it usually got a massive power boost.

There was a reason why Japan trained their mages to teleport within their third year. With the amount of fallen spirits that inhabited and hunted in the country, teleporting was the last line of defense for a mage.

Yuzu and Karin were going to start that training by next week. And Haru wasn't nearly as good at teleport as Ichigo was.

Too bad Ichigo wasn't anywhere near them at the moment, and his spirit sense wasn't good enough to feel the danger nearby.

Haru took a defensive stance, and told the girls to find Isshin. While the man pretended he couldn't see spirits (Haru had seen him glancing every so often at Ichigo's ghost visitors, so he knew it was an act and didn't mention it) he would still be able to protect the girls.

The hollow sneered at him, and knew he was a better meal than the brats the boy was protecting.

"_Such a delicious morsel..."_ he sneered.

"Hado 30: Pale Fire Crash!"

The blast of blue flames hit the hollow, but did very little damage. Without warning, the hollow's claw swiped at Haru, and caused the teen to crash onto a nearby gravestone.

Haru could tell three of his ribs were broken. His healing wasn't nearly as good as Yuzu's. Karin was more of a defensive and long range attacker.

Haru got up, and tried to move. Even though he was aware of how phenomenally bad an idea it was. He didn't dare teleport, because he could end up far, far worse than just with a few broken ribs.

He managed to get a few feet, since he could tell where Ichigo was at any time. He tried to go for his brother, only to have his soul thrown out of his body courtesy of the hollow. Apparently the monster didn't feel like dealing with eating his entire body.

Haru blinked, and realized most of the pain was gone. Then he saw something that horrified him more than the creature who was trying to eat him.

It was a grotesque parody of a baby, only it certainly wasn't one. The thing looked like a cross of a snake, a hollow, and some deranged madman. If Haru had been in his body, he would have been fighting the urge to vomit at the sight of it.

The hollow didn't care about the baby thing, he was more interested in Haru. He destroyed the soul chain, and the resulting blast of energy caught Ichigo's attention from nearly half a mile away.

Why he was that far, Haru had no idea.

* * *

Ichigo grabbed Rukia and teleported them. The soul reaper then had been talking to blinked in surprise.

Ichigo was horrified by the sight of the baby thing, but his horror grew tenfold when he saw Haru in a soul reaper's outfit.

"HARU!"

"Ichigo! This freak is the one who killed mom!"

"WHAT?"

Ichigo took out his oversized sword, and prepared to kill the hollow. Haru would never lie to him about something like this. Ichigo knew Haru had been hiding something ever since Rukia showed up.

And know he knew. Haru knew who killed their mother, but he had no proof until now.

Rukia took one look at Haru's sword, and knew something was off about it. For one thing, she knew for a fact he had more spiritual power than that. For another, the hilt looked far to detailed for an unnamed sword.

"Haru, what's his name?" she asked.

Haru blinked, and listened.

"I've always known his name. I just didn't care about his powers."

Ichigo crashed next to him. He looked pissed. Haru had an evil idea.

"Hey Ichigo, do you think now I'll be able to summon my familiar without the block?"

"Probably. Can't be any worse than I'm doing out here," he growled.

Haru's evil grin grew to disturbing proportions, as a circle sprang out from beneath his feet.

The hollow before them paused. He had never had mage prey before.

The circle grew...as something powerful started to come through the dimensions. Haru was one of the most powerful mages in Japan, having beaten out an elder practitioner for the title.

He rarely made enemies of people he beat, usually because of his blunt honesty about needing more experience and knowledge before he had a right to boast.

Rukia stared at Haru. Before, when she sensed his spiritual power, he was barely at a third seat's level.

But his magic was an entirely different story. It was Captain level or even higher easily! It seemed that Ichigo was the powerhouse when it came to soul powers while Haru backed him up with his insane magic levels. It was an even balance of reishi and magic with those two.

The power levels of the circle were almost as bad as Haru's magical potential. Whatever he was summoning, it was almost as strong as Ichigo, if not worse.

What appeared threw everyone off guard. Instead of some insanely huge beast...what Haru got was a large bone white cat with fierce looking eyes.

Ichigo patted his brother amused.

"You just can't say no to the cats, can you brother?"

"Shut it. If you had any sense, you would feel his power levels are close yours, you ass."

"_The fuck? How did I end up in this piss ant place?"_

Haru snickered. He could tell that his familiar was fun already.

"Sorry, but I needed to summon a familiar and you got picked. What's your name anyway?"

The panther stared at him. He had heard of mages before (any above Menos class had) but he had never seen one before. And he would have heard if there was a soul reaper with mage powers.

"_Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."_

"Right. Nice to meet ya Grimmjow. Judging by the gaping hole in your torso, you must be a hollow. If that's true, are you hungry at the moment?"

Grimmjow stared at him harder. Then he saw why the kid asked. Standing there absolutely amused was Grand Fisher.

Annoying bastard, but he had never pissed him off enough that he felt the need to devour and consume his powers. Grimmjow remembered something his fraccion had mentioned about an orange haired soul reaper being on Fisher's list.

Looked like he had interrupted Grand Fisher's little game. He didn't feel like killing the bastard just yet.

"This is the best you pathetic humans could come up with? A lowly Adjuchas?" sneered Grand Fisher.

On second thought, if he helped this kid out now, he could reach Espada level a lot quicker!

Grimmjow snarled at him, looking fit to rip the hollow's throat out.

Even with Grimmjow's enthusiastic strikes on Grand Fisher, and Ichigo's insane power levels, the hollow escaped.

But he wouldn't be coming after Ichigo anytime soon. With the amount of damage Haru, Ichigo and Grimmjow did to the hollow, it would take months, if not a year to recover.

* * *

Isshin gave Grimmjow an odd look, but said nothing when Haru explained that the hollow was his familiar.

In a short week, Grimmjow had found that he rather liked playing the part of a familiar. With Ichigo's nonexistent spirit control, he could eat as many hollows as he wanted. And the World of the Living was a hundred times more interesting than Hueco Mundo.

(Haru had been delighted to finally find a subject for his dissertation, and grilled an amused Grimmjow about hollows. It was one of the rare subjects no one had ever really broached in depth.)

Haru didn't mind that Grimmjow returned to Hueco Mundo every so often, to visit his fraccion. Who were highly amused he had somehow gotten roped into being a familiar. Haru was a very good partner, since he could keep up with Grimmjow's panther form.

Grimmjow had been surprised and pleased when he learned the human he had been saddled with as a partner could turn into a black panther. And Haru had no issues with him swearing, only that he keep it to a minimum around his sisters.

He found it hilarious that Haru encouraged him to locate Ichigo's new hiding spot for his stash every week. Though he had to admit, Ichigo had good taste in porn.

Though for some reason there was an equal number of yaoi in that stash...

* * *

Everything seemed relatively peaceful...until for some reason the number of hollows began to drop off in the town. Grimmjow was pissed about that, because it meant he had to work even harder to eat prey.

He took to hanging around Ichigo, mostly because unlike Haru, Ichigo had absolutely no control over his powers and was therefore a walking bait for hollows.

Only the strongest of hollows would even dare to attack Haru, which was the only reason Grimmjow accepted the position of familiar. Haru could injure the stronger hollows enough that Grimmjow could finish them off and get stronger.

Ichigo stared at Uryu. He was the reason why the hollow attacks had dropped off so dramatically?

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"As long as the two of you were mages, I didn't care what you did. But now that you're both soul reapers, you are now my enemies."

"...You do realize we only have their abilities, not their affiliations right?"

Uryu blinked. He wasn't expecting that sort of comeback.

"Haru and I are hardly on the side of the soul society. I just help Rukia out because it's my fault she's stuck."

"_Oi 'Berry, who's the four eyes?"_

"He's the idiot who's been cutting down on your approved snacks," Ichigo said with a grin.

Ichigo and Grimmjow got along like a house on fire. After the family got over the fact he could turn into a rather human looking hollow (with hair that made Ichigo feel vindicated for not having the only odd colored hair in the house) the two just clicked.

It didn't hurt that Grimmjow could keep up with Ichigo on his games. Haru and Karin came close, but Ichigo was the undisputed gamer in the house.

Grimmjow kicked his ass six times out of ten, to Ichigo's delight. He hadn't had a worthy opponent in a LONG time.

Chad was good, but he wasn't much of a conversationalist and he usually ended up chatting Haru over healing potions. For some odd reason, Chad had yet to reach his full height, and as a result his bones tended to creak quite a bit. Haru had helped the teen experiment with potions to ease that problem, but so far he hadn't found anything to get rid of the aches.

Ichigo always teased Haru about his height, but as Haru liked to remind his brother, quite loudly, that while he was less than five inches shorter than his brother in height, he had it where it counted.

Ichigo always shut up after that comment. Though Haru did find the blushing that the girls sent his way after making it extremely annoying.

Haru had told Grimmjow he was free to harass Ichigo so long as he left the humans alone. According to the Adjuchas, the hollows that were drawn to Ichigo's untrained spiritual powers were nothing more than snacks to him.

Haru could honestly care less how many of the weaker hollows the panther ate, so long as he didn't get a stomachache from it. Grimmjow had laughed when he heard that one, because it was highly unlikely such weaklings would give him any indigestion. Unless one had been a real scumbag in life.

He had eaten a few of those, and they always gave him the worst case of gas.

Uryu stared at the hollow, shocked that Ichigo was standing beside it without trying to kill it. Before he could aim his bow at it, the hollow looked him dead in the eye and said _"Try it, and I'll rip your throat out. I ain't like the weaklings you've been culling for the past week."_

"He...can talk."

"He's not a regular hollow. According to him, there are varying levels of power in their world, and he's stronger than the ones that usually show up."

"He can talk. Why aren't you attacking him?"

"Haru's familiar. He would be pissed if he learned that I killed it when it hasn't caused us any trouble," shrugged Ichigo.

Uryu lowered his bow. This was just the biggest piece of evidence that Ichigo was nothing like the soul reapers who had killed his grandfather.

Ichigo could honestly care less about Uryu's powers. He was more concerned with protecting everyone he cared about.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh dear kami, he's at it again..." said Ichigo.

"What?" asked Chad.

"Haru... he's trying to get that stupid club started..." said Ichigo. It was bad enough he did this on his days off, and now he was trying to corrupt others.

"Which one? Cosplay or Crossdressing?" asked Chad.

"Does it really matter? Either way he's way too girly."

"And you can't beat him up because he would die your hair pink again," said Chad.

"Oh no...! He's sucked Rukia into it!" said Ichigo in horror.

He had been looking out the window when he saw Haru. He could tell by the hair color what he was planning, and he wanted no part of it.

Grimmjow didn't know what to think when he found out that his mage partner crossdressed whenever he was really bored. The horrifying fact was that Haru could pass for a girl far too easily for a straight male to feel comfortable with.

In fact, a few times Ichigo caught his brother on a date with someone he knew to be straight...and the next day couldn't look the kid in the face.

Ironically enough, one of those people happened to be the same joker who was currently causing problems for Ichigo. When he remembered that little incident, he started to wonder if there wasn't another reason for Uryu's hatred of him.

_Dear kami, I hope he never found out that the cute girl with green eyes was Haru... I'd never hear the end of it!_

* * *

Ichigo was walking home from school when he was ambushed by Uryu. Luckily, he had the annoying Kon just in case. Rukia had forced him to take the plushie with him, even though Haru nearly died laughing at the sight of it.

Out of all their classmates, only Haru remembered _that_ little incident. Ichigo the Perv was something he wasn't going to forget anytime soon... And neither would Ichigo, because Haru had his camera phone on him that day.

But when Uryu crushed the hollow bait, Ichigo knew he was in serious trouble.

Fortunately, he knew Grimmjow was at home today. He hit the speed dial.

"_Yo. Kurosaki residence."_

"Grimmjow, that idiot Uryu just crushed some hollow bait within range of my spirit energy. Do you think you could call your fraccion here to help keep this mess contained?"

"_Uryu the name of the kid who keeps killing my snacks?"_

"That's the one."

"_With your spirit energy levels, we're definitely going to have to deal with a Menos. I'll go get them."_

"Keep an eye out for Yuzu and Karin."

"_Will do. You so owe me for this."_

"I'll pick something up for you later. Just hurry."

Ichigo closed his phone and went to work. Kon went to make sure the girls were safe for Ichigo...and to get Rukia.

* * *

(Meanwhile, in Karakura Magical Academy)

"_Ha! _Take this, Yoruichi-sensei!"

Yoruichi danced out of reach of his blade. It was tragically easy. Haru had no practice with his zanpakuto, despite already knowing it's name upon becoming a soul reaper.

Which was why a week after getting his new sword, he went back to Yoruichi for proper sword training to get used to his new sword.

Whenever Haru got a new sword, he always spent at least two to three weeks training with it to get a proper feel for it's ability. He still took them out of his storage space, just to make sure he had a handle on it.

His skill with the blade was prodigy-level, but he didn't rely on such abilities. The reason why he was so popular in his club was because he worked hard to earn those skills, and to improve upon them.

He was called the 'Last Samurai of Karakura'. Though if Rukia ever joined the kendo club she would give him a run for his money.

"...Wait. Do you hear something?" asked Yoruichi.

"Is that a hollow? No...wait that sounds like..."

Haru threw open the window. He didn't have to worry about hollow attacks here, because the entire school had a hollow repellant ward around it for two city blocks.

What greeted his eyes was a nightmare. Hollows of all shapes and sizes were appearing.

"Son of a... I am going to kill Uryu..."

"He the one behind this?"

"He's a Quincy. If I remember that report I read right, they have access to hollow bait as training material. They only explanation for this amount is if that complete and utter moron set it off near Ichigo."

"That would do it. What are you going to do?"

"Since they haven't completely overrun the town, I am going to assume Ichigo had enough common sense to call in the cavalry. Which means I'm going out there and really practice with my sword."

"This would be very good practice for you. I'll follow you in my other form, okay?"

"Hai. Good luck sensei!"

* * *

It took Ichigo _two hours_ to find Uryu. During that time he heard about what really happened to the Quincy clan.

He was really, really hoping that was the cause for this mess.

He jumped in without thinking, saving the glasses idiot in the process. He said his piece, but when Uryu mentioned his grandfather, Ichigo couldn't help but feel relief.

Unfortunately, Uryu noticed that and became annoyed.

"Why are you glad about that?" he demanded.

"Because I was afraid there was another reason you hated me this much."

"What possible reason would I have to hate you besides what happened to my grandfather."

"Haru...and his annoying habit."

"Hah?"

"If you haven't noticed, I am NOT telling. It's embarrassing enough my sisters enjoy helping him with it..."

The way Ichigo said that set alarms off in Uryu's mind. Then he remembered the cute girl in from the maid cafe who flirted with him. She had seemed so familiar at the...

"Oh dear kami... that was HIM?"

Ichigo flinched.

Haru had found an outlet for his crossdressing habits...he worked at a maid cafe. Ichigo swore Yuzu and Karin had far too much fun braiding his hair.

Isshin never complained because while it was an unusual hobby, it was a relatively harmless outlet for his stress. Besides, with his looks it was highly unlikely _anyone_ would figure it out unless someone pointed it out to them.

"That was Haru...?"

"He works there for fun. It said girls only but with his looks..."

Uryu raised a hand. Ichigo didn't need to explain.

"And who or what were those things eating the hollows?"

"If it was a large panther, Grimmjow. Other than that, it might have been his friends. I'm not a complete idiot Uryu."

Suddenly the hollows before them were cleared in a large blast of power.

Urahara had joined the battle.

* * *

Grimmjow landed near Ichigo. He was grinning evilly.

"_You spill the beans to cape boy yet?"_

"Not really. I just gave him the tools to put two and two together. Not my fault he's a frequent customer to a maid cafe because of my idiot brother."

"The only _idiot_ around here at the moment is Uryu. He should have known better than to let that particular piece of training equipment off around you."

"Yo. So Panther Boy gets the big guy?"

"_Damn straight. You think I stick around here for my health?"_

"I'll go give you a head start then..."

And with that, Ichigo went to make a colossal fool of himself.

Grimmjow waited patiently for Ichigo to wound the Menos... Instead he was on the ground laughing his ass off. Haru facepalmed in embarrassment.

"Please tell me he didn't go after a Menos thinking it was a daruma..."

"_I can't, oh my sides!"_

"I wonder who the bigger idiot is, Ichigo or Uryu."

"_Uryu. He's dumb enough to interfere with my snack time,"_ said Grimmjow promptly.

"Point. Shall I make my displeasure known later?"

"_You think he'll still come to the cafe?"_

"I think it's become a habit now. Besides, I mostly work as a greeter, and since I started working there returns have sky rocketed. The boss won't get rid of me if that gets exposed."

"_True. Besides even the girls haven't figured it out."_

Haru snickered.

"Of course they don't know I'm a guy! I have temporary gender switching potions to take in case I need to!"

"_And it looks like the Menos is done playing."_

Grimmjow waited until Ichigo redirected the Cero at the Menos...before launching himself at the thing. The second he took a large chunk out of the hollow, it started to shriek.

If another hollow took so much as a bite out of it, then that hollow would be devoured and absorbed.

Grimmjow followed the Menos into the path, intent on finishing the job. His fraccion had already left, having filled up on minor hollows.

They seemed to find his mage partner highly amusing, as he gave as good as Grimmjow when it came to swearing.

(He was facing a hollow that just _wouldn't die!)_

Eventually Uryu proved to be smarter than he appeared, as he helped Ichigo reign in his out of control spirit energy. Which was the only reason Haru didn't give the jerk a tongue lashing.

* * *

Haruka looked up from her waitress duties to see a regular come in.

"Welcome back, Master!" she said cheerfully.

Uryu gave her a look, and she let it slide off. Ever since he found out that Haru worked part time at a maid cafe...as one of the maids...he had been acting strangely around him.

It was starting to annoy the hell out of him.

"What can I get for you, Master?" she asked.

Uryu seemed intent on staring at her, and said "I'd like the omelet today."

"Do you want me to write on it for you?"

"Yes please."

Uryu stared at the omelet for more than one reason.

A) It was written in English and B) it was a blatent threat from Haru to knock off the staring or else.

_Keep staring four eyes, and I'll turn you into my next victim._

It took Uryu a few minutes to realize what he had written. His English was good, but not that good.

Then he remembered the rumors of someone trying to start a cosplay club at the school...and everything clicked into place. If he didn't become more subtle, and fast, Haru was going to drag _him _into his madness!

Uryu stayed until closing, deciding to talk to Haru after work. Fate, however, is a total bitch.

He sensed two soul reapers, fairly strong ones at that, nearby. So did Haruka, who offered to close up shop for the manager.

Naturally Uryu reached Rukia first. And was soundly beaten by one of the soul reapers.

Haru, sensing this, completely forgot to change out of his uniform and headed straight there after throwing an illusion over his outfit.

Haru saw Ichigo having trouble with the red haired one, and after looking at the more noble one came up with an amusing idea. Uryu was clearly out of the fight, so that just left Ichigo.

Rukia was practically useless in her gigai.

He grinned, and concentrated on the nobleman. This was going to be hysterical.

* * *

Rukia and Renji both stared as a carbon copy of Byakuya appeared, practically radiating his usual noble indifference. Even the sword was the same.

Byakuya wasn't amused by the fake, and went to deal with him. Only to discover that the fake wasn't as unskilled as he believed.

Ichigo watched the entire fight with something akin to amusement, having already figured out what the hell was going on. When Byakuya went to release his sword, the doppelganger shocked everyone (but Ichigo) when they did a mirror effect. The pink petals flew in the wind like small blades, each as razor sharp as the next.

Byakuya's eyes widened slightly as he felt tiny blades cut into him wherever the fake petals hit. It was more than slightly confusing.

Ichigo, of course ruined the entire thing by laughing.

"Really Ichigo, was that necessary?" said the fake Byakuya in annoyance.

"Where's a camera when you need one?" he asked in return.

Byakuya and everyone else watched as the illusion fell apart...which was mostly the clothes. The face and body didn't shift at all.

It didn't take long before Renji and Rukia were joining Ichigo in laughter...because Haru completely forgot that he hadn't changed out of his work clothes.

Needless to say Byakuya was beyond pissed at the fact his doppelganger made it look like he was wearing a maid outfit.

"Haru...were you just getting off work?" asked Ichigo slowly.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't working nearby," said Haru annoyed.

"MY EYES!" yelped Ichigo.

"Oh come off it Berry Boy. You knew I worked at a maid cafe!" retorted Haru.

"Yeah, but that didn't mean you should have come in that get up!"

"Shut it Berry."

Haru popped his gikongan in, having it specially made for such an occasion.

(Urahara made him a set of gikongan to keep him from pranking him unmercifully. The last time Urahara set Haru off, he as forced to watch three seasons of Barney.)

"What can I do for you, Master?" asked the cheerful Ginger.

"Can you go close up the shop for me and head home after getting out of the uniform?" he asked.

"Sure thing Master!"

"Dear lord...you have a Maid-style soul candy? Why?" said Ichigo.

"Ichigo, unlike you I prepared for the unlikely event that I might be forced to leave work early to deal with a hollow. So I blackmailed a certain insane shopkeeper for a set of soul candy that I could use in any situation."

Renji stared at the change.

Before, it was impossible to tell that the person who mocked his captain was male.

Now it was pretty obvious.

"How did you mimic my sword's ability?" asked Byakuya, cross.

"One, I already knew what the ability was, and two, Soul Reapers would have great difficultly beating me on a good day."

Renji took that challenge, and charged at the boy.

Haru grinned evilly, and whispered something that Byakuya didn't catch.

"ARGH! What the hell is wrong with you Zabimaru?"

Ichigo stared at the sword which nearly killed him. It was shaking and refused to work around Haru.

"What is going on?" asked Ichigo.

"I have no idea," said Rukia.

"Which reminds me... I am sick of hearing her yelling when Ichigo can't even hear her voice," said Haru, turning to his brother.

Ichigo had a chill of foreboding.

"_Dance...Sode no Shiroyuki!"_

Rukia gasped as snow covered the street. What appeared from Ichigo's sword was a beautiful woman in white with pale lavender and silver hair.

"Shirayuki-san, I believe you have something to say to my brother?" said Haru with a grin. She bowed to him, grateful for this chance.

Everyone stood there in shock as Rukia's sword went into full on rant mode on Ichigo. She sounded almost too much like her soul reaper partner.

Haru had to hold back his laughter.

"How? How did you bring her out?" asked Byakuya in shock.

Haru grinned at the man.

"Because my partner is awesome like that," he replied.

"_Whisper, Muramasa."_

With a shimmer, a figure appeared next to Haru. Ichigo recognized him on sight.

"Mark?"

"Hello Ichigo. I suppose it is beyond time for you to know what I really am," he said pleasantly.

"You're...a zanpakuto?"

"And yet Rukia didn't recognize me at all. I'm sure he does though..." said Muramasa, looking at Byakuya.

The man looked positively murderous. He was well aware of Muramasa's ability to control zanpakuto. What he wasn't aware of was the fact that he had a new soul reaper partnered with him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ichigo...wake up you lazy berry!" shouted Haru.

It had been a full day since Rukia was taken by her brother to the Soul Society. Ichigo had been dumb enough to charge at the nobleman with his oversized sword while Shiroyuki stayed near her master.

Byakuya showed Ichigo the vast difference in skill between them. And unlike Haru, who could rely on his partner to back him up with his power, Ichigo had only his insane strength and his ability to keep going to work with.

Ichigo groaned...and then backpedaled into the wall rather fast when he saw what Haru was wearing.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"HAH! Pay up Urahara!" cackled Haru.

Urahara chuckled evilly, but he really didn't expect Ichigo to react that way. While Ichigo didn't have a problem with Haru's crossdressing hobby, he had rarely seen Haru in his full outfits.

The sad fact was, every time he dressed up, he usually felt tempted to put Ichigo into one of the outfits too. It was why Ichigo felt nervous around Haruka.

"It seems the time has come for you to learn how to control your real powers Ichigo. You couldn't hear his voice because Sode no Shiroyuki was blocking it, but now that she's gone you might be able to hear him."

"Hear who?"

"Your sword. I've always been able to hear Muramasa, even from the beginning."

"And tomorrow we'll be training you to the ground," said Urahara.

"I'll go help Yoruichi-sensei. Have fun Urahara, and don't do anything I wouldn't," said Haru grinning.

"That doesn't limit me much," he said dryly.

"I know."

Ichigo felt a shiver of apprehension go down his back. This would not end well.

* * *

"Why am I not surprised to see you two here," said Haru dryly.

"Haru-chan!" said Orihime.

Chad was staring in shock. He had never seen Haru in women clothes, and the boy looked far too comfortable in them...

"Yoruichi-sensei, do you want me to help train these two?"

"I would say take the tall one, but I think you would have more luck with the girl," said Yoruichi.

"Probably. Don't worry Orihime, I'll put you on Tatsuki-level training."

"EEP!"

"But only if you can bring out your power at will like before. By the time we leave for the Soul Society, you should be more useful as a backup. Healers are always the first to be targeted after all," said Haru.

* * *

"Alright Orihime...what exactly were you feeling when you brought out your power?" asked Haru.

"I...I was so desperate to save Tatsuki from that hollow. I couldn't think beyond that..."

"Hmm...sounds like the usual scenario. Now I am going to show you how to activate that power, this time without it being a life or death situation. First I want you to meditate..."

Haru controlled Orihime's breathing with practiced ease. Slowly, she became more calm as he helped to guide her thoughts towards her power.

It wasn't until her hair pins popped into fairies that she came out of it.

"What's the big idea of calling us woman!" growled Tsubaki.

"Listen up! We are here to make sure Orihime doesn't end up on the sidelines in a real fight, so you had better pay attention!" barked Haru, his teacher mode going in full force.

Tsubaki and the others lined up without saying, as Haru naturally commanded such obedience with his voice. While his power would normally force him to stay on the sidelines, the fact was that he was a natural leader.

Haru put the fairies through different exercises, often forcing them to move through dense spiritual areas. They weren't the only ones to go through strenuous training.

Orihime had to deal with stressful situations, often being forced to make tough choices. What she _didn't_ know was that what Haru put her through for nearly ten days was actually the final exam for the sword mages.

Haru was a registered sword mage, which would allow him to legally carry a sword without tying it closed.

It was easier to hide it in the baseball bat, since it was hard to explain how someone as young as him managed to pass such a difficult exam.

By the time the ten days were nearly over, Orihime had learned how to summon her powers without using the kotodama. And (to Haru's not so secret relief) he had managed to keep Orihime from being stuck on the sidelines in a fight.

Her natural healer's attitude made it difficult for Tsubaki to fight effectively. So Haru tried another tactic.

He had her trained as a battlefield medic, who were expected to hold their own in a fight. Since she had trouble killing others, he had her learn how to wound people to the point where they would stop fighting on their own.

She learned to inflict non-fatal, but on their own extremely painful, injuries. It was the best he could do for her.

* * *

Haru paused. Halfway into training Orihime, he felt a surge of pure power...and the hint of darkness. What bothered him was that the power felt like Ichigo. He went down to the underground training area...and nearly got hit by one of Urahara's blasts.

"OI! Watch where you aim her!" he shouted.

He had dismissed Orihime early so she could train on her own and recover properly, then went to see his brother.

"Haru! Help me! This guy is insane!" shouted Ichigo, running for his life.

"Of course he's insane. They make the best inventors."

Ichigo stared at his brother.

"That being said... Why don't I give you a real run for your money Ichigo? I'm sure Urahara would love to try those candies I just brought with me."

"Candy~!" he sang out.

"And now..." said Haru, grinning evilly.

"Oh shit..."

"Let's have some fun, brother! Come on Zanny, why don't you come out to play too~!" sang Haru.

Ichigo choked. How the hell did Haru know the name of his zanpakuto?

And just like that, Zangetsu appeared before Ichigo.

"Hello Haru. I am glad to finally be able to talk to you without her screaming at me."

"Agreed. She was a bit of a harpy."

"Zangetsu? How...?" sputtered Ichigo.

"Ichigo...Muramasa's power is the ability to draw out other zanpakuto and control them. His previous master relied too much on that power and it drove him insane."

"And why can you use it?"

Muramasa appeared behind Haru. He seemed unusually somber.

"Before his parents were killed, I was drawn to him by his power. When I touched him, my power and his fell into sync, and I became his zanpakuto. He was never meant to become a soul reaper in the first place, but my interference guaranteed it."

"Muramasa is my sword. Even if his previous master was never killed, but sealed. That doesn't mean I'm going to rely solely on his power though. That's just begging for trouble."

Muramasa smiled. The reason he liked Haru so much was because he never used his power unless he absolutely had to. To him, Muramasa was a trump card more than anything else.

And with that, Ichigo tried to survive the night. Haru, Muramasa and Zangetsu were hard taskmasters, but even Ichigo had to admit he improved more than he had with Urahara. For the next two days, Ichigo was pushed to his limits and beyond. By the time Urahara told them to end training for the rest of the day, Ichigo was so exhausted his brother had to teleport them directly to their room.

* * *

"Jeez...talk about tacky!" said Haru.

Urahara had to announce the time for departure in the most annoying way possible. Haru only left it with a note to Karin that this was a good time to practice household charms.

Ichigo and Haru dropped down from their window, after casting a simple cushioning charm.

Isshin surprised them both with a pair of protective amulets, which upon further investigation turned out to be hollow repellants with Urahara's signature all over them.

Haru decided not to mention that fact to his brother though.

Once at the store, only Haru was unsurprised by the fact that Chad, Orihime and Uryu would be joining them.

Ichigo took one look at the black cat and put two and two together.

"This the Yoruichi-sensei you always rave about?"

"Yup."

Ichigo bent down to ground level and held out a hand. Yoruichi was Haru's favorite instructor. The cat had single handedly shown Haru how to master a blade in two weeks flat. While Tessai had instructed Haru in the more advanced applications, Yoruichi was the one to discover his affinity towards Kido.

Ichigo would swear on his sword that his brother had a shrine to the cat instructor.

(He did. Officially it was a shrine to Bast, the Egyptian goddess of the Moon.)

Urahara took great pleasure in knocking Ichigo's soul out, while Haru took a preemptive strike and popped a candy. Urahara pouted, but continued on.

Haru was the first to go through the portal, and he took off running. He couldn't use Shun Po, which annoyed him to no end.

* * *

"I officially hate the precipice world," said Haru.

"Agreed."

Haru got up, dusted off his uniform, and looked around. Thanks to Urahara, he had stitched something on the inside of his uniform to remain inconspicuous. And he knew all the details about the soul society that anyone should know to get around.

Because of the urban planning nightmare that was the Seireitei, no one would ask why he kept getting lost.

As far as anyone knew, he was with the thirteenth court guard squad. Urahara had suggested that one, saying Ukitake wouldn't be too upset about the illusion, since they were actually rescuing one of his people. Urahara had even provided a few memories so Haru would have something to work with.

Which was why he morphed into something utterly impossible to distinguish, and headed towards the Seireitei though one of the smaller gates.

The gate guards allowed people in and out, but it was far easier to pretend he had been out on patrol and was just returning. If he was legit, then he wouldn't use the larger gates, but one of the smaller ones solely for soul reaper use.

So with a nod to Ichigo, who was taking the alternate, and infinitely more dangerous route, he infiltrated the soul society. It took a few wrong turns, but eventually he found Ukitake, who was taking a break from his paperwork...and his worry over Rukia's fate.

* * *

"Ukitake-Taicho?" asked a voice entirely unfamiliar to him.

"Yes? Sorry if I can't remember your name at the moment, but I have a lot on my mind," said Ukitake kindly.

"I sincerely doubt you would know my name. After all...I'm part of the Ryoka rescue party here to keep Rukia from getting killed," he said bluntly.

Ukitake, who had been sipping his usual tea, coughed.

"What?"

The man before him grinned in a cheshire cat way, as if he was playing a joke on the captain.

"I said I'm part of the Ryoka rescue party that is here to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki. Urahara recommended your squad if I was going to impersonate one."

"Who exactly are you?"

Ukitake would normally capture a ryoka, especially if they were in contact with Urahara. However, this one was here only to rescue one of his own. He could hardly capture someone like that, now could he?

"My name is Haru Kurosaki. And I am quite possibly Byakuya Kuchiki's worst nightmare," grinned the man...who abruptly shifted into a fifteen year old boy with green eyes and a mischievous smile.

Kyoraku would adore this kid.

"You wouldn't happen to be a madoushi by any chance...?"

"Fully trained and ready to annoy people," quipped the boy with ease.

"Why would a mage concern himself with a soul reaper?"

"Because Ichigo owes her for saving him when a hollow attacked our family. Besides, she's rather amusing, even if she insists that I need training to handle my partner."

"What can I do to help?"

"I mostly need you to help me keep up the ruse that I'm one of your soul reapers and not a ryoka. The only person who would even know who my partner is and what he can do is Byakuya, who I intend to avoid if at all possible."

Suddenly the teen bent down and took out some hard candy.

Without warning, Ukitake could feel his zanpakuto shift a little...and a pair of twins in old court regalia decked in blue appeared. They had a fan between them.

They looked happy to see the teen, and both accepted the candy with oblivious glee.

"Someone has a sweet tooth," he grinned.

"Who...how?"

"My partner has the ability to draw out the soul of zanpakuto. Meet your twins," he grinned.

Muramasa appeared behind Haru, grinning. He actually preferred Haru's use of his unique power to his previous master, who forced him to murder other soul reapers.

By the next day, when everyone went to the captain's meeting, Ukitake enlisted the help of his two temporary lieutenants to keep Haru a secret.

They took up the challenge with their usual fervor, though Haru had to keep from laughing.

He had them help navigate him to wherever Rukia was likely to be held. He avoided the sixth squad on general principles, since Byakuya would blow his cover in a heartbeat.

Once he had the way to the white tower down, he wandered around for a bit. Quite a few people had seen him with Kiyone, so no one questioned his right to be there.

Which was why he was able to witness his brother's entrance to the soul society. Using shun po, he managed to find the place where his brother landed.

Only to discover he hadn't made it to Ichigo first. Two of the eleventh had beaten him there.

"Get lost kid! These guys are our opponents!" called out the bald one.

'Judging by those feathers, he must be Yumechika...which makes baldy Ikkaku.'

He used a small pulse of magic to confirm that there wasn't anyone else in the vicinity, before his smirk turned evil. Ichigo shivered.

The last time he saw that smirk, Isshin had learned the hard way that Haru would wake up on his own, unless you wanted to be pranked within an inch of your life!

There was a reason Ichigo never dared to wake up his brother.

"I'm afraid, Ikkaku-san and Yumechika-san, that I simply can't let you harm the orange haired one. The one with the headband is still fair game," said Haru calmly.

Ikkaku raised an eyebrow. How the hell did this kid know their names. Then his mind did a backtrack.

This kid knew the ryoka...which meant he was one as well.

"And it is ill advised to attack someone who can turn Ruriro Kujaku against you," he added.

Yumechika paled. How did this ryoka know his zanpakuto's true name?

Ichigo had an evil, evil idea.

"Haru...why don't you show them that Byakuya impression you did once you let the illusion drop?"

"You mean with me in my work clothes?"

Ichigo nodded heartily, and it was the evil grin on his face that said that the joke would be hilarious.

Haru grinned.

"You two wouldn't happen to own cameras, would you?"


	6. Chapter 6

A random member of the sixth burst into Byakuya's office, clearly bewildered.

"What is it? I'm busy."

"Byakuya-taicho! There is a rumor that someone who looks exactly like you is wandering the Seireitei in a maid costume!"

Renji withheld his snickers, clearly remembering that little incident. The brush in Byakuya's hand snapped in two from anger.

"Where was this...fake...sighted?" he asked in a strained voice.

If he ever caught Haru, he was going to strangle the boy bare handed!

"The imposter was last seen heading towards the fourth barracks, Sir!"

Byakuya was gone. The papers fell off his desk while Renji burst out laughing now that Byakuya was safely out of hearing. He had little doubt the man would kill him without hesitating if he could get away with it.

He kept on laughing...until he realized the random soul reaper was still there, and he was grinning like an imp. Then he realized that the random soul reaper...was the same kid who had morphed into Byakuya in the world of the living, in a full maid costume.

"Want the pictures Ikkaku and Yumechika took?"

"Ran into them, did you?"

"We came to an...arrangement. Ichigo got to have his fight, and they left with plenty of blackmail material."

Renji agreed to Haru's terms, since it meant he would have evidence on hand that Byakuya looked good in a maid costume.

He couldn't wait to sell it to the man's fan club.

As a result of that little prank, Haru had practically unlimited alibis in the Seireitei. As long as he kept Byakuya on a wild goose chase, the man couldn't blow his cover as the master of Muramasa and as a ryoka.

He really loved magical doppelgangers. By the time Byakuya figured out that trick, Haru would have caused enough havoc that the soul reapers would have more difficulty stopping them from rescuing Rukia.

* * *

Haru stared, as he felt Ichigo's power flare around Kenpachi Zaraki. Normally he would use Muramasa to back his brother up, but the fact was that Ichigo needed this lesson. He had noted with some concern that ever since he gained Zangetsu, his brother had treated him like some object.

He rarely if ever talked about his sword spirit, which meant that he wasn't in tune with his sword at all.

Zangetsu clearly noticed that, and he wasn't very happy about it.

Which was why Haru was going to allow Kenpachi to nearly kill his brother. Ichigo needed this lesson if he was to stand a chance at defeating Byakuya, let alone any of the other soul reapers.

He found himself joined by a small girl with pink hair. She was clearly Kenpachi's tiny lieutenant Yachiru. When she saw him, she gave him a look before going back to her captain.

Haru took that as a sign to sit next to her, as he brought out some chocolate covered pretzels. He held them out to her in question, and it didn't take long for the two to start cheering their respective fighter like sports spectators.

Ichigo would have been highly annoyed...if he could hear Haru and Yachiru at the moment.

Once Ichigo finally opened up to his sword partner, the tide of battle changed. Yachiru wasn't too concerned about Zaraki, because he _lived _for fights like this.

When Ichigo dealt the last blow, Haru waited until he sensed Yoruichi nearby before helping Yachiru carry her captain off.

As Zaraki lay on that building, he looked at his sword with weary eyes.

Haru looked at him, and the way he treated his sword.

"You don't trust him...that is why you can't hear his voice."

"What?"

"You are so caught up in fighting and relying solely on your own power that you can't find it in you to trust your sword to back you up. It's caused your soul to fall out of sync with him, and that keeps you from hearing his voice."

"...Is there any way to reverse it?" asked Zaraki.

"Let me put it this way. Is there anyone you trust to fight alongside you, and back you up?"

Zaraki thought about that. Among his men, there were a few like that. Ikkaku, Yumechika, and even Yachiru. They were people he could count on to let him fight his battles and guard his back when he needed it.

"If you can find it in you to trust them, then why not rely on your sword to help you when you really need it? Try letting your sword help you every once in a while," said Haru.

Zaraki took those words to heart as he passed out from bloodloss. The last thing he heard was Yachiru realizing he was hurt worse than usual.

* * *

It took Orihime to find a way to pass as soul reapers with Uryu. She ran into Haru, who took a look at whose uniform they had taken.

They didn't know about the insignia's stitched on the inside, or the differences in the squads.

"You two should leave infiltration to the professionals," Haru said dryly.

"Where are you taking us?" asked Uryu. He barely trusted Haru, but to be fair Haru rarely used his soul reaper powers. He preferred his magic in a fight.

"The thirteenth squad. Ukitake has been helping me blend in, which is why no one has copped onto the fact I'm with you lot. And you really, really don't want to end up in the Twelfth."

"What?" said Uryu, not understanding why.

"The guy is worse than Urahara, and three times as twisted. And your uniforms are from that squad, which means you would have come into contact with him rather quickly if you hadn't run into me."

It turned out Haru's luck was as horrid as ever, because the next group they ran into was from the 12th. And it turned out that very captain was hiding nearby.

Haru took care of his zanpakuto while Uryu fought the man's lieutenant. Nemu didn't _have _a zanpakuto. She was a mod soul, which meant she wouldn't have one.

Orihime stood back, ready to help if needed.

They were at a standstill, and Haru knew that every minute he wasted on Kurotsuchi, the higher the chance Byakuya would find him...and chances were pretty good the man would kill him without hesitating.

Which meant Haru had one option left.

"When I give the word, we turn tail and haul ass!" he hissed at Orihime and Uryu.

The two agreed heartily.

With a little nudging from Muramasa, Kurotsuchi's zanpakuto went after his master...which had Mayuri destroying it without hesitation.

"NOW!"

He grabbed Uryu, while Orihime held onto his other arm. Once Mayuri realized what had happened, he started howling in anger. They had narrowly avoided becoming his test subjects...

* * *

Things were slowly coming to a boil. Orihime was safely in the 13th barracks, but Uryu had left and was caught by the ninth's captain.

Chad was defeated by Kyoraku, the captain of squad eight.

Fortunately (?) one of the other captains was killed the day before, so the ryoka were naturally blamed. Because of that, the orders were to apprehend and imprison rather than kill on sight.

Something that annoyed Byakuya to no end, because it meant he couldn't kill Haru. With his unique infiltration technique, he could easily kill a captain and escape without attracting notice...or worse, frame someone else for the job and get away free.

* * *

Haru teleported to where Rukia was, hiding in his panther form meant no one would be able to sense him unless they ran into him and spotted his sleek black coat against the white stone.

Rukia stared when she saw the panther, and was horrified when she realized who it was.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she hissed.

"_You can talk normally you know. I cast a small charm that repels all but captain class soul reapers. Besides, as far as the others are concerned, I am currently helping Kiyone carrying things in the barracks."_

"What?"

Haru gave a rather frightening grin in his panther form.

"_You know about my unique trick of transformation, correct?"_

"You can turn into anything you see, provided that you can concentrate for under a minute. Why?" she asked in suspicion.

"_Let's just say I have an unlimited source for alibis around here. Your brother's fan girls were _very_ willing to back up my claims after I gave them certain pictures..."_

Rukia bit back a laugh. From the way he said that, it was obvious he had been spreading the pictures of Byakuya in Haru's work clothes.

Her brother would most certainly kill Haru if he ever caught him!

"What is happening out there?" she asked.

"_Well so far Ichigo has defeated Ikkaku and Zaraki of squad 11, though the last one was a draw. Orihime is currently hiding in your barracks, while Uryu and Chad were caught by two captains. Luckily it seems one of the captains was recently killed, so they are being held for questioning until they figure out what the hell is really going on. Yoruichi-sensei is training Ichigo so he can learn bankai, but I have no idea if he'll succeed or not."_

"Ichigo...learning bankai?" she asked horrified. Ichigo was frightening enough with his bizarre amount of spiritual power, but adding bankai to the mix and he would be insanely strong.

"_Yoruichi offered to teach me that same trick, but I don't think Muramasa and I are ready for that step just yet. Besides, I don't want to get anywhere _near_ your brother at the moment."_

"I can't imagine _why,_" she said dryly.

"_Frankly I'm surprised no one has figured out why Ichigo is strong enough to take on captain-class without a bankai,_" said Haru.

"Why is Ichigo so strong? I've never meet or heard of a human strong enough to see soul reapers as clearly as he can."

Haru stared at her. He couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the truth for herself...then again she had never come into direct contact with their father.

Grimmjow had, and he had recognized right off what Isshin was. But since he had never tried to threaten them or eat them, Isshin made an agreement with the hollow. He would protect Isshin's secret and the girls, and in exchange he would ignore the fact that Grimmjow was a hollow entirely.

Despite the fact that according to both Muramasa and Grimmjow, Isshin had sealed his powers to blend with the humans better. He could unseal them, but the pain alone would nearly kill him for it.

It was partly because of Isshin that Ichigo was so strong. It was Isshin's blood that gave Ichigo his soul reaper powers.

"_You mean you really don't know?"_

"Know what?" she demanded annoyed.

"_According to Grimmjow, the proper term for someone like Ichigo is a Shinketsu. Apparently people like him have been around before, but they are so rare that it's not common knowledge."_

"Shinketsu?"

"_I believe the translation is True Blood."_

"It can't be. I thought those were myth!"

"_I forget you've never come into contact with Isshin. His powers are sealed, but he can still pass on his traits to his children. I know for a fact that Karin's power is starting to act up, and Yuzu is not that far behind her."_

"And you?"

"_Muramasa unlocked all my potential spirit power when he first touched me. Since then he has been keeping my spiritual power in check until Yoruichi and Tessai could teach me how to control it myself. Besides, my parents never had any."_

"Who or what is Muramasa anyway?"

"_Muramasa...is the zanpakuto of the last rogue Kuchiki. Because his master was sealed, he has been searching for him for the past four hundred years. Thanks to me, he is starting to remember how to work as a team again."_

"Rogue...Kuchiki?"

"_I believe it was during the time of Byakuya's grandfather. From what Muramasa said, Byakuya is the nephew of the rogue Kuchiki."_

"Tell me, Haru. Why is Ichigo going to such lengths to defeat my brother?"

"_Family...is everything to us. Especially after mom died. For Byakuya to not even care that his own sister is going to be killed... It goes against everything we believe in. Besides, Ichigo has never properly repaid you for saving us. He never blames you for turning him into a shinigami. If anything, he always thanks you for that, because you gave him the power to protect our family."_

"Ichigo...doesn't hate me for changing his fate?"

"_Rukia, you never changed his fate. If anything, when you turned him into a soul reaper, you were bringing the sword of fate down on him early. With his bloodline, he would have become a soul reaper anyway if his soul chain was ever severed."_

"Like you?"

"_Rukia, that was bound to happen at some point. Muramasa turned me into a soul reaper when he took the killing curse and bound us together. The only reason I didn't turn into a soul reaper sooner is because my soul was stuck inside my body."_

Before Haru left, he decided to leave something to cheer up Rukia.

He left a few photos that he usually gave to Byakuya's fan girls in exchange for favors...and a Chappy doll that she hid in her kimono.

* * *

Byakuya was pissed. There was no other word for it. The ryoka Haru embarrassed him at any chance he had, and even bribed his fan girls with pictures that he most certainly never took. And there was the fact that the boy clearly infiltrated one of the court guard squads.

He not only flaunted the rules, he broke them whenever he could. And unlike Ichigo, he had clearly been trained in the shinigami arts from an early age.

But what bothered him the most was his zanpakuto.

Byakuya knew of Muramasa. And the figure who had brought his sister's sword out fit the description that his grandfather gave him. Even his appearance matched perfectly.

But his attitude didn't match what he had been told at all.

Muramasa was supposed to be uncaring to the point where he killed other shinigami with their very zanpakuto without blinking. And he most certainly didn't have affection towards his partner.

But this Muramasa not only cared about his partner, but he also didn't use zanpakuto against their owners without permission from the boy.

The thing was, the last time Muramasa had a partner, he turned rogue and went on a killing spree. The only reason Byakuya even _cared_ about that fact was because the man in question was a Kuchiki. His uncle in fact!

He wondered whether he should tell Captain General Yamamoto about Muramasa's return. Then he realized he didn't have to. At some point Haru Kurosaki would reveal his partner's power, and the man would find out.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to try your hand at Bankai, Haru?" asked Yoruichi.

Haru had been witness to the little joke Yoruichi played on his brother, and had laughed his ass off. Unlike Ichigo, Haru had never blushed or gotten a nosebleed when she switched forms.

It was a side perk to be a metamorph. Well, that and anything she had he had already seen a thousand times already when he swapped his bits for his job. Unlike most metamorphs, Haru was so comfortable in either boy or girl form that he could switch at will. It was an unusual trait, but one Yoruichi had helped him perfect through countless hours of training during battle.

Ichigo was battling with Zangetsu, or as Haru loved to call him, Zanny. (That nickname annoyed the hell out of the zanpakuto, but sadly Ichigo had picked it up as well. He was currently using his sword's hated nickname to get him to attack harder than normal.)

"Quite sure. I'm not ready for it, and Ichigo picks up things like this faster than I do. I'm the mage, he's the soul reaper. I only use my powers to back him up when he needs it."

"True. Any other soul reaper would have capitalized on Muramasa's power by now. You are possibly the only partner he will ever have that won't use his abilities to cause trouble."

"I don't like using his power unless it's to be friendly with other zanpakuto. I'm strong enough when it comes to magic, the last thing I need is trying to surpass my brother in spirit power."

"A lost cause in any case. You draw enough attention with your familiar as it is."

"True. Grimmjow wanted to come, but I wouldn't be able to cause so much chaos with him around."

"Well, since I don't want you to grow soft, I do have a trick you _can_ learn without annoying people."

"What's that?"

"It's called Shun Ko. It's a technique that can be used in conjunction with Shun Po. The only problem is that it's quite dangerous. And any cloth on the back and shoulders will be destroyed or completely ruined beyond repair from activating it."

"Good thing I like wearing sleeveless shirts," he said dryly.

And while Ichigo tried to beat his zanpakuto in a straight up sword fight, Haru learned the basics of Shun Ko from Yoruichi.

And ever so slowly, the execution date rolled around.


	7. Chapter 7

Haru snickered when he saw how Ichigo got Rukia down. He had to hold back his laughter from the sight.

He interfered with the lieutenants while Ichigo dealt with Byakuya.

"Sister!" cried Kiyone.

"I have had enough of this nonsense," said Haru.

Before any of the captains could interfere with Ichigo, Haru took out his sword.

Genryusai's eyes widened as a far too familiar zanpakuto appeared in Haru's hand.

"If any of you are inclined to fight my brother or try to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki, then you will have to fight me to do it," said Haru clearly.

"Impossible! Where did you get that sword?"

"You seem to be working under a misunderstanding. I was not born with a zanpakuto like Ichigo. Muramasa chose me," said Haru.

Genryusai remembered clearly the havoc Muramasa's power wreaked on the soul society. Kouga had killed countless soul reapers using it.

_So why hadn't he known that Muramasa had returned?_

He looked to Byakuya, who had complained about one of the ryoka earlier.

"Who are you?" he asked finally.

"My name is Haru Kurosaki, Ichigo's brother. The only reason you haven't heard of me is because I don't like using Muramasa's power that much."

"What do you intend to do?" asked Genryusai.

"At this point, nothing really. But I will not allow you people to interfere in Ichigo's fight. Any attempts to do so will be treated as threats, and I will not hesitate to turn your own powers against you."

"And if that fails?" asked Genryusai.

"Then I will have Grimmjow eat you. Either way, you shall not pass."

Ichigo, when he heard that line, stumbled.

"Haru, you watch too many movies."

"Just because you can't appreciate fine literature..." Haru catcalled.

"_Lord of the Rings_ put me to sleep!" Ichigo yelled back.

"And yet you read Shakespeare just fine!"

"Shakespeare doesn't go on for a thousand pages and it isn't that dull!"

"This coming from someone who reads Yaoi?" he asked.

"THOSE ARE YOURS!"

As amusing as they found the exchange (particularly Muramasa who knew full well Haru only read yaoi to freak out Ichigo and Isshin), the others were still in the way.

Kyoraku took Ukitake and Nanao away while Yoruichi appeared and removed Soi Fon.

Genryusai went after his former students. He didn't want to deal with Muramasa just yet.

Which left Unohana.

"I suppose this just leaves you and me," he said calmly.

"Indeed."

"If you want, I can help you collect the injured. No need for them to be endangered while my idiot brother fights Mr. Stick-in-his-ass."

She raised an eyebrow. And was more than mildly surprised to see him sheathe his sword.

"I only brought him out to insure Ichigo would have a fair chance against him. I really don't like using his ability, no matter how useful it can be," shrugged Haru.

"A commendable trait," said Unohana.

"Considering how poorly his previous master handled him, it's a miracle he works with me at all."

Haru collected the boys while Unohana moved the girls closer. Upon further inspection, she found her lieutenant was hit the lightest.

"I don't like injuring healers if I can help it."

Unohana brought out her sword, then looked at Haru.

"Are you staying here?"

"I would prefer not to. Ichigo can't control his power that well and I don't want to get hit in the crossfire. Would you mind discussing healing potions while we wait for these battles to be decided?"

"Healing potions?"

"I am a mage. While my brother outclasses me in spiritual energy, I outshine him in magical potential. And I brew potions better than he can. I can give you some recipes if you like."

Unohana smiled at him kindly. She wouldn't mind that at all.

* * *

"So why is your brother so desperate to rescue Rukia-san?" asked Unohana.

"Rukia...she helped to save our family. To us, family and friends mean everything. The idea of a brother willingly killing his sister over something so minor..."

"According to our laws the charge isn't that minor."

"What if it was only a crime if the receiving party misused his powers?" asked Haru.

Unohana paused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean while I understand it's a big thing to awaken a human's potential power like that, what if instead of making it a felony worthy of death, you change the law so that the soul reaper in question has to _train_ the one that they awakened?"

"You mean place the responsible party on probation until the character of the new shinigami is ascertained?" she asked.

"Exactly! That way you wouldn't lose a perfectly good soul reaper. You would gain a new one!"

Unohana had to admit, the idea had some merit. While the crime was indeed serious, placing the shinigami responsible under suspension until the new soul reaper was trained would give them some new experiences. And it would help add to their forces.

"Besides... I'm surprised none of you has even realized _what_ Ichigo is."

"What do you mean?"

"According to my familiar, who happens to be an Adjuchas, Ichigo is a Shinketsu. A true blood. Even without Rukia's help, if his soul chain was ever severed by a hollow or something else, he would have become a soul reaper anyway."

"Shinketsu? I thought those were myths!"

"Does the name Isshin ring a bell?"

"Isshin? He went missing some time ago."

"Isshin...is Ichigo's father. And my adopted one."

Unohana looked at him in shock.

When they landed, Haru helped Isane get off the rather odd sword that Unohana had.

When she released her zanpakuto, she looked at him.

"I suppose my fate will be decided on Ichigo's fight."

"Let us hope your brother wins then."

"I have little doubt in my mind that he will. Byakuya was never his real target. If anything, that ridiculous law that Rukia broke was. Besides...he has a fall back option if things really get desperate."

"What is that?"

"The way Urahara used to help Ichigo regain his powers...it unlocked the other side of his potential. So far it isn't fully awake enough to cause trouble, but when he does awaken, any opponent Ichigo has will have little chance against him. Hopefully when this is all over we can work with it instead of against it."

For the next thirty minutes, Haru discussed healing potions with Unohana, even having Muramasa bring out some of his potions. She seemed particularly interested in the blood replenishers, which Haru gave her the recipe to.

Without warning,they both felt a clash of power from the Execution Hill.

"It seems the match has been decided, Ma'am."

"I wonder who won?" asked Unohana. She rather liked speaking to Haru, who was not only polite, but rather well educated.

"Ichigo, most likely. Perhaps we should pick up this discussion at a later date?"

"Indeed. I shall meet you on the hill later, then."

Haru bowed, and teleported to the top of the hill.

* * *

"Mah, Ichigo. You look like hell."

"Bite me. Where did you run off to?"

"Helped the fourth captain carry the injured to her barracks. She was very well informed about shinigami healing techniques," he said.

"Ow..."

"I take it your more insane half had to help?"

"How do you know about...?"

"Ichigo, while I was training Orihime I felt that change. Whenever your soul reaper abilities are weakened, his abilities start to get stronger. You two are a balancing act of hollow and soul reaper powers. Get used to it."

"I feel like crap," complained Ichigo.

"You look like crap," Haru said flatly.

Ichigo managed to sit up, and took the potions Haru handed him without complaint. Haru was a better brewer than he was.

In five minutes, he actually felt normal again. His spirit power was low, but he didn't feel like he was beaten half to death.

"So what now? Byakuya has admitted defeat, but what about the rest of them?"

"Ichigo, you truly are an idiot sometimes. I've suspected something else was going on for a few days now, but I have the feeling everything is coming to a boil now."

"What?"

"Someone has orchestrated this whole mess from the beginning."

"How do you know?"

"One of their captains supposedly died a few days ago, which in itself is suspicious. Even if it helped our side, it means someone is pulling strings. And the fact that the execution date was moved up means that it has to be from the Central Island that they are doing it."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that we have to protect Rukia at all costs. So far, all this nonsense has been geared around her, and your interference was expected. However, whoever has been pulling our strings didn't count on one thing."

"You. They never anticipated someone like you would show up and ruin everything," said Ichigo.

"Yup!"

"What do we do?"

"We wait, and recover for a moment. If I'm right, then the traitors will reappear here, where people least expect them to be."

He was. Ten minutes after Haru healed Ichigo, Renji and Rukia reappeared on the Execution Hill with someone who was a captain. From the looks on their faces, it was obvious they had no intention on coming back to the hill.

Haru got between Rukia and the blind captain.

"Who are you?"

"Haru Kurosaki, Ichigo's brother."

As he said that, two figures appeared in the same manner as Rukia and Renji.

Aizen and Gin had arrived.

"I wasn't expecting them to still be here," said Aizen pleasantly.

"I saw no reason to walk down all those stairs just to come back up again," said Haru flatly.

"Captain Aizen...!" said Renji in shock.

"Renji, met the one behind this whole mess," said Haru calmly.

Aizen looked at him with interest.

"And what would make you say that?"

"The fact that my sword is warning me not to trust my senses," said Haru flatly.

Aizen smirked...and suddenly the sound of sword on sword was heard.

But there wasn't anything clashing against Haru or Muramasa.

Ichigo watched in complete shock as Aizen appeared with his sword at Haru's throat, with only Muramasa blocking the blade from cutting him.

Haru grinned, and said "I suppose it's time to fight like my brother. Full power and with reckless abandon of my power."

"HEY!"

"He has a point Kurosaki. You don't really restrain your power levels during battle," said Uryu.

"Can it! I'm not the one who frequents a maid cafe on the weekends!" countered Ichigo annoyed.

Haru grinned widely.

Gin prepared to use his sword on Haru...but found a problem. His zanpakuto wasn't responding to him.

"I think it's time for my partner to make his appearance," said Haru.

"So there is another Ryoka here?" asked Aizen pleasantly.

"Not a ryoka."

"_Whisper...Muramasa!"_

Beside Haru, a figure appeared. He was in a full coat and two strands of hair framed his eyes.

"This...is my partner Muramasa. If I can't trust my senses to beat you, then I'll trust his."

Aizen had no idea about Muramasa's power...or the fact that Haru was currently fighting under half power.

"Rukia!" yelled Renji suddenly.

Kaname had taken advantage of Haru's distraction to claim Rukia from Renji.

"Muramasa bring the harpy out. She can do a better job protecting Rukia than they can at the moment," said Haru.

"_Tsugi no mai...Hakuren!"_

Sode no Shiroyuki appeared, and grabbed her master from Kaname.

"Shiroyuki!" said Rukia in shock.

"Rukia, you didn't lose her. Your spirit power is so low at the moment that you can't access her,"Haru informed her.

"Sode no Shiroyuki...keep Aizen away from your master."

"Gladly," she replied.

"What an interesting power," said Aizen pleasantly.

"Oh, I'm not done just yet."

Haru grinned in such a way that it sent shivers of apprehension down Ichigo and Renji's spines.

"Why don't we have everyone come out to play?" grinned Haru maniacally.

Without warning, people appeared beside Ichigo, Renji, and Byakuya, who wasn't as far as everyone believed.

Renji had to stare at his sword though, because he always thought it was a baboon with a snake tail.

He had no idea that it was really a pair of snake and baboon spirits, tied together by a single chain.

"I wondered when he would call us," said the Baboon.

"Yeah, what took you so long!" complained the snake.

Ichigo's friends were currently staring at his sword spirit, who was an old man.

Haru gave Muramasa a look.

"I thought I said to bring_ everyone_ out."

"I didn't think it was wise to unleash _him_ just yet."

"Ichigo needs to work something out with _him_ sooner or later. Why not now where we can help?"

"Fine, but you're in charge of keeping him under control," said Muramasa flatly.

"Who said I was going to do it? He can teach him better than I can."

"...Point."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" said Ichigo crossly.

"We're referring to your hollow form, dumbass," said Haru annoyed.

And with that, they felt the pressure of something malevolent and insane.

Haru grinned as Ichigo's hollow self made his appearance. Where Ichigo's soul reaper uniform was black and white, he was white and black. Even his hair was white.

"And now, the real battle will begin!"


End file.
